Chrysanthemum plant named ‘Kohana’

ABSTRACT

A new and distinct cultivar of Chrysanthemum plant named ‘Kohana’, characterized by its numerous small daisy type inflorescences with very small white-colored ray florets; freely branching growth habit; early flowering response; and good postproduction longevity.

Botanical classification/cultivar designation: Chrysanthemum ajania pacificum cultivar Kohana.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a new and distinct cultivar of Chrysanthemum plant, botanically known as Chrysanthemum ajania pacificum and referred to by the name ‘Kohana’.

The new Chrysanthemum is the product of a planned breeding program conducted by the Inventor in Staden-Oostnieuwkerke, Belgium. The objective of the breeding program is to develop new cultivars of Chrysanthemum ajania pacificum with unique inflorescence forms, attractive ray and disc coloration and little to no pollen.

The new Chrysanthemum originated from a open-pollination made by the Inventor in October, 1999, in Staden-Oostnieuwkerke, Belgium, of a proprietary selection of Chrysanthemum ajania pacificum identified as code number 417, not patented, as the female, or seed, parent with an unknown Chrysanthemum selection, not patented, as the male, or pollen, parent. The new Chrysanthemum was discovered and selected by the Inventor as a single plant within the progeny of the stated open-pollination in a controlled environment in Staden-Oostnieuwkerke, Belgium.

Asexual reproduction of the new Chrysanthemum by terminal cuttings in Staden-Oostnieuwkerke, Belgium has shown that the unique features of this new Chrysanthemum are stable and reproduced true to type in successive generations.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The cultivar Kohana has not been observed under all possible environmental conditions. The phenotype may vary somewhat with variations in environment such as temperature, daylength and light intensity, without, however, any variance in genotype.

The following traits have been repeatedly observed and are determined to be the unique characteristics of ‘Kohana’. These characteristics in combination distinguish ‘Kohana’ as a new and distinct cultivar:

1. Numerous small daisy type inflorescences with very small white-colored ray florets; typically grown as a spray type.

2. Freely branching growth habit.

3. Early flowering response.

4. Good postproduction longevity.

Plants of the new Chrysanthemum can be compared to plants of the female parent selection. In side-by-side comparisons conducted in Staden-Oostnieuwkerke, Belgium, plants of the new Chrysanthemum differed from plants of the female parent selection in the following characteristics:

1. Plants of the new Chrysanthemum were more upright than plants of the female parent selection.

2. Plants of the new Chrysanthemum had more rounded and not as lobed leaves as plants of the female parent selection.

3. Plants of the new Chrysanthemum had white-colored ray florets whereas plants of the female parent selection had yellow-colored ray florets.

Plants of the new Chrysanthemum can also be compared to plants of the cultivar Silver and Gold, not patented. In side-by-side comparisons conducted in Staden-Oostnieuwkerke, Belgium, plants of the new Chrysanthemum differed from plants of the cultivar Silver and Gold in the following characteristics:

1. Plants of the new Chrysanthemum were more freely branching than plants of the cultivar Silver and Gold.

2. Plants of the new Chrysanthemum flowered about three to four days earlier than plants of the cultivar Silver and Gold.

3. Inflorescences of plants of the new Chrysanthemum had small ray florets whereas inflorescences of plants of the cultivar Silver and Gold did not have ray florets.

4. Inflorescences of plants of the new Chrysanthemum produced less pollen than inflorescences of plants of the cultivar Silver and Gold.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE PHOTOGRAPHS

The accompanying colored photographs illustrate the overall appearance of the new cultivar, showing the colors as true as it is reasonably possible to obtain in colored reproductions of this type. Colors in the photographs may differ slightly from the color values cited in the detailed botanical description which accurately describe the actual colors of the new Chrysanthemum.

The photograph at the top of the sheet comprises a side perspective view of a typical flowering plant of ‘Kohana’. The photograph at the bottom of the sheet comprises a close-up view of the lower and upper surfaces of typical leaves (top) and typical inflorescences (bottom) of ‘Kohana’.

DETAILED BOTANICAL DESCRIPTION

In the following description, color references are made to The Royal Horticultural Society Colour Chart, 1995 Edition, except where general terms of ordinary dictionary significance are used. The aforementioned photographs and following observations and measurements describe plants grown during the spring in Staden-Oostnieuwkerke, Belgium, under commercial practice in a glass-covered greenhouse. Plants were initially given long day/short night treatments followed by short day/long night treatments to induce flower initiation and development. During the production of the plants, day temperatures were about 15° C. and night temperatures were about 13° C. Plants were about four months from planting into 13-cm containers when the photographs and the description were taken.

Botanical classification: Chrysanthemum ajania pacificum cultivar Kohana.

Commercial classification: Daisy type Chrysanthemum typically grown as a spray-type potted plant.

Parentage:

Female or seed parent.—Proprietary selection of Chrysanthemum ajania pacificum identified as code number 417, not patented.

Male or pollen parent.—Unknown selection of Chrysanthemum ajania pacificum, not patented.

Propagation:

Type.—Terminal tip cuttings.

Time to initiate roots, summer.—About 10 days at 25° C.

Time to initiate roots, winter.—About 12 days at 20° C.

Time to produce a rooted cutting, summer.—About 14 days at 25° C.

Time to produce a rooted cutting, winter.—About 21 days at 20° C.

Root description.—Fine, fibrous, and freely branching; white in color.

Plant description:

Appearance.—Herbaceous daisy type potted Chrysanthemum typically grown as a spray type. Stems upright; plants roughly cylindrical in shape. Freely branching with lateral branches potentially developing at every node; pinching is not required; dense and full plants.

Plant height.—About 26 cm.

Plant width.—About 20 cm.

Lateral branches.—Length: About 5 to 10 cm. Diameter: About 2 mm. Strength: Strong, flexible. Texture: Pubescent. Color: 146D.

Foliage description.—Arrangement: Alternate. Length: About 1.5 to 5.5 cm. Width: About 0.5 to 4 cm. Shape: Obovate. Apex: Acuminate. Base: Attenuate. Margin: Palmately lobed. Texture: Upper and lower surfaces pubescent; veins prominent on lower surface. Color: Developing and fully expanded foliage, upper surface: 137A. Developing and fully expanded foliage, lower surface: 191A. Venation, upper and lower surfaces: 147C. Petiole length: About 1 to 2.5 cm. Petiole diameter: About 1 mm. Petiole color: 138A.

Inflorescence description:

Appearance.—Daisy type inflorescence form with small elongated oblong-shaped ray florets. Inflorescences borne on terminals above foliage. Disk and ray florets develop acropetally on a capitulum. Slightly fragrant. Typically grown as a spray-type.

Flowering response.—Under natural conditions, plants flower in September in the Northern Hemisphere. At other times of the year, inflorescence initiation and development can be induced under short day/long night conditions (at least 13.5 hours of darkness). Early flowering; plants exposed to long/short night conditions followed by photoinductive short day/long night conditions flower about 56 days later.

Postproduction longevity.—Inflorescences maintain good color and substance for about four weeks in an interior environment.

Quantity of inflorescences.—Freely flowering, about five inflorescences develop per lateral stem.

Inflorescence bud.—Height: About 6 mm. Diameter: About 5 mm. Shape: Ovoid. Color: 138B.

Inflorescence size.—Diameter: About 1 cm. Depth (height): About 1 cm. Diameter of disc: About 3 mm.

Ray florets.—Shape: Elongated-oblong. Orientation: Initially upright; with development, roughly perpendicular to the peduncle. Length: About 5 mm. Width: About 1 mm. Apex: Emarginate. Base: Attenuate; short corolla tube. Margin: Entire. Texture, upper and lower surfaces: Smooth, glabrous; satiny. Number of ray florets per inflorescence: About 10. Color: When opening, upper and lower surfaces: 155C; towards the base, 144D. Fully opened, upper and lower surfaces: 155C; towards the base, 144D.

Disc florets.—Arrangement: Massed at center of receptacle. Shape: Tubular. Apex: Five-pointed. Length: About 5 mm. Width: About 0.7 mm. Number of disc florets per inflorescence: About 70. Color: Immature: 145C. Mature: Close to 12A.

Peduncles.—Length: About 1 to 3 cm. Diameter: About 1.5 mm. Angle: About 35° from vertical. Strength: Wiry, flexible. Texture: Smooth; glabrous. Color: 146D.

Reproductive organs.—Androecium: Present on disc florets only. Anther color: 7A. Pollen color: 15A. Gynoecium: Present on both ray and disc florets.

Seed/fruit.—Seed and fruit production has not been observed.

Disease/pest resistance: Resistance to pathogens and pests common to Chrysanthemums has not been observed on plants grown under commercial greenhouse conditions. 

It is claimed:
 1. A new and distinct cultivar of Chrysanthemum plant named ‘Kohana’, as illustrated and described. 